Draft roundup: A memorable weekend for Patriots

It was a busy NFL draft for the Patriots, to say the least. They picked nine players and made three trades, ultimately setting themselves up with two first-round picks and two second-round picks in next year’s draft.

WEEI.com covered the draft from start to finish, introducing readers to each new Patriot along the way. In case you missed it, here’s a recap of the coverage.

The Pats’ next pick (No. 74) created perhaps the biggest shock waves of the draft for New England. Bill Belichick and company decided to draft Arkansas quarterback Ryan Mallett, who was surrounded by questions about his character leading up to the draft. Here’s Price’s story, in which Belichick had nothing but good things to say about Mallett. Belichick met with the media at the end of Day 2 to discuss all the team’s picks that day — here’s the transcript.

Mallett, who is from Texas, will have at least one good friend in the area. Alex Speierdetails his friendship with Red Sox prospect Will Middlebrooks, currently playing with Double-A Portland. The two met in grade school and have been close ever since — Middlebrooks said they’re “like brothers.”